


A Home To Rest My Heart-Timestamps

by 71tenseventeen



Series: A Home To Rest My Heart [2]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Christmas AU, M/M, Non hockey au, financial instablity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:00:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/71tenseventeen/pseuds/71tenseventeen
Summary: Timestamps for A Home To Rest My Heart
Relationships: Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin
Series: A Home To Rest My Heart [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566625
Comments: 7
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

It’s the beginning of December and Sid hasn’t seen or heard from Zhenya in three weeks now. Thea’s been in bed for a couple of hours but Sid knows he won’t sleep. He can never sleep anymore. If it’s not the stress and worry keeping him up, it’s the heavy heartache. He misses him so, so much, thinks about calling Zhenya ten times a day. But how could he ever explain why he did what he did? What could he ever offer Zhenya? It wouldn’t be fair. So Sid sits up, wrapped in a blanket gazing out the window into the night for hours.

He doesn’t hear her shuffle at first, she’s so quiet. But then Thea is there, rubbing her eyes. “Daddy?”

Sid whips his head around, hastily wiping his tears away. “Hey baby, what are you doing up?” He says, holding his arms open to her.

She climbs into his lap and he wraps them both back up in the blanket, dropping a kiss into her hair. “I had a funny dream.”

“A funny dream?”

She nods and twists until she’s nestled in his arms, looking up at him. “I dreamed I was riding ponies with Cheburashka.”

Sid does his best to laugh. It’s harder than it’s ever been.

“Why are you crying, Daddy?”

Sid sighs. He wished he could have hidden it better. “Everything’s okay,” He winces a little as he tells her the lie. “I’m just a little sad.”

“Why are you sad?”

Sid doesn’t know what to tell her so he tries for some shade of the truth. “I was thinking about a friend who I don’t get to see anymore. Someone I miss.”

“Is it Zhenya?”

Sid should have known but he eyeballs her anyway. “What makes you think that?”

“Because I heard Aunt Vero tell Uncle Flower to shut up and be nice because you miss Zhenya and you’re sad.”

Again. Sid should have known. “Yes, I miss Zhenya. But it’s okay, I’m going to be okay.”

She settles her head against his chest then, snuggling closer. “I miss Zhenya, too. He would laugh a lot at my dream.”

“He really would.”

“Why doesn’t he come see us anymore?”

Sid waits for a moment, trying to swallow past the thickness in his throat. “He’s very busy, sweetheart. He has a lot of work to do and I have a lot of work to do. It just doesn’t work out.” Another lie but there’s no way he’s telling her the truth.

She’s quiet for a couple of minutes before she yawns and says tiredly. “I’m sorry you’re sad, Daddy.”

He smiles because he must have said that to her a thousand times. It’s nice to know it’s making a difference. “It’s okay. Remember, it’s alright to be sad sometimes.”

She nods. “But it was better when you were happy. You smiled all the time when Zhenya was here.”

Sid’s breath catches. He doesn’t have words to answer her so instead he just pulls her close and whispers, “Shhh,” rocking until he lulls her back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Sid wakes to click of the door closing.

It takes him a moment to come online, blinking heavily. He hasn’t slept this deeply in a long time and it would be easy to let himself get dragged back under but—Zhenya.

Sid forces his eyes open.

He rolls with a smile that quickly falls away when he doesn’t bump into a warm body but turns onto cold sheets. Sitting up, he looks around, heart clenching painfully. Did he change his mind?

But then he sees Zhenya’s coat by the door and hears soft and muffled Russian on the other side of the door and he doesn’t even care what Zhenya is doing or why. He’s just happy he’s not gone.

Sid tries hard not to look like he was just about to fall apart as he watches Zhenya ease quietly back inside a couple of minutes later.

Zhenya’s hair is messy from sleep and he’s smiling softly at Sid as he says, “Hey. Sorry, was trying not to wake you.”

Sid shakes his head, gets up and crosses the room into his arms. “It’s okay,” he says, voice muffled against Zhenya’s chest.

“You okay?”

Sid doesn’t even try to lie. “For a second I thought you left.”

“Oh Sid,” he squeezes a little tighter. “Not gonna leave you, just got you back.”

They stand like that for another minute, just holding tight, until Zhenya says softly. “You want lay back down?”

“Thea will probably be up soon.” He can feel Zhenya nodding against his head.

“Is okay I’m still here or I need to go?”

“Stay,” Sid rasps, because he can’t imagine letting him go right now. “She’ll be so happy to see you.”

They fold the sofabed away and Zhenya has just pulled Sid down to sit with him when they hear little feet. They look up just in time to see her emerge and Sid’s heart gives a little twist when she lights up the moment she spots Zhenya.

“Zhenya!” She’s moving across the room at top speed but Zhenya doesn’t miss a beat, getting to his feet just in time to scoop her up into a hug.

“Hello sweet girl,” he says softly, hugging her tight.

She’s beaming when she pulls back and reaches for Sid. “Daddy, Zhenya’s here for Christmas! Now you don’t have to be sad anymore.”

Sid tucks her against him into a hug, unable to respond but he doesn’t miss the look on Zhenya’s face as they lock eyes.

Her interest in them lasts until Sid sets her gently to her feet and she spots the gifts with a squeal. As she’s ripping the paper off of the big one, Sid starts, “That one is from—”

Zhenya cuts him off. “Is from both of us. Your Daddy think you like it a lot.”

Sid’s vision is swimming and Zhenya pulls him close as they watch her jump with delight when she can see the picture on the box.

He has to fight the urge to try to hide the meager gifts he’d gotten her and he’s surprised when she squeals just as happily when she opens the coloring book. “Ponies! Thank you, Daddy!”

It doesn’t take her long to get through her three packages and reach for the fourth when Zhenya stops her. “That one for your Daddy. You want to give to him?”

She does and looks very concerned when Sid cries after opening the hockey tickets. “Daddy, are you sad again?”

Sid shakes his head. “I’m really happy, baby. It’s a good Christmas.”

It’s not until later, after Sid cooked pancakes for breakfast and Zhenya assembled the dollhouse for Thea that they finally get a few moments alone again.

Zhenya eases next to Sid on the couch and pulls him close again. “On phone earlier and think I can help with situation,” he says, motioning around the apartment.

“I can’t ask that of you. I can’t—”

Zhenya cuts him off. “You not ask, I offer. And is maybe not what you think. Know of apartment that is empty. Two bedroom, in your price range. Was who I was calling earlier, make sure landlord okay with new renter and waive deposit.”

Sid’s mouth hangs open. “You…you did that? But two bedrooms? Zhenya, are you sure it’s—”

Zhenya cuts him off again, this time with a kiss. “Sweet Sid, I know you most worry but I know for sure. Know landlords personally. Think you even like location. Only potential problem is neighbor. He annoying guy who crazy in love. Might be at your door a lot.”

Sid looks confused long enough that Zhenya finally laughs. “Is me, Sid. Apartment across from mine above shop been empty long time. Mama, Papa don’t want to be landlord. So I call them and they agree as long as I’m take care of maintenance. We can work out plan for rent that not keep things so tight for you. Is not big deal because place otherwise sit empty.”

There are a lot of things Sid wants to say, not that he can, because he’s in tears again. He doesn’t remember ever crying so much in his life. He can’t find the words to thank Zhenya so he kisses him and hopes he’ll understand it’s the thank you he can’t get out.


End file.
